Beijing police train for 2008 Olympics by practicing high-speed car chases(Updated 05:22 p.m.)

At least 10,000 Beijing policemen are training for the 2008 Olympics by practicing high-speed car chases, a newspaper reported Monday.

At a specialized track, police are learning to drive customized police cars equipped with roll bars, safety seats and special seat belts, the Beijing Youth Daily reported.

The training, which started last year, includes changing direction at high speeds and U-turns, the report said, citing the Beijing Public Security Bureau.

After the training, police will practice their skills around the Olympic venues, it said.

Currently, the opportunities for high speed chases are limited somewhat by the daily traffic jams that frustrate the soaring number of car owners in the city of 15 million.

But partial traffic bans and special lanes for Olympic traffic on some roadways were being planned for the Olympics, and other gridlock-busting measures were being considered.

Last month, the government announced more than 40,000 police officers were being trained to handle potential terrorist attacks. The training includes instruction in foreign languages such as English, French, German and Arabic.